The first permanent title of land granted under Jan van Riebeek was a parcel of land in the Rondebosch area. Originally referred to a ‘Het Ronde Doornboschjen’ after the many thorn trees that grew along the Liesbeek River banks, the area was eventually known as Rondeboschje, and known as Rondebosch today. A landmark in the suburb is the Rondebosch Fountain, at the corner of Main and Belmont Roads, which was a cast iron drinking bowl for horses and was later one of South Africa’s first electric streetlamps, first lit in 1892. Other historical establishments include Africa’s oldest university - the University of Cape Town – as well as Rhodes Memorial and Mostert’s Mill, South Africa’s oldest and only complete windmill in South Africa, which was unfortunately burnt in 2021 due to a fire on table mountain that jumped over the highway, parts of UCT were also burnt. The area is a predominately residential area, with many Victorian houses, a medium size retail area and a small business district. Rondebosch has grown in popularity over the years due to its close proximity to UCT, with many students living in the area - making this area a popular investment area. There are also very good schools in the area, including Bishops Diocesan College, Rondebosch Boys Primary and High School and Rustenburg Girls Primary and High school. There is a large common for walkers and easy access to the Newlands Forest. This area is evenly split between sectional title schemes and freehold properties, with a small amount of freehold properties in private estates. Recent buyers into the area range from young adults to mature individuals, while recent sellers have been mature individuals and pensioners. This area has been highly active in terms of sales, with 306 sales in the past 12 months. Majority of the sales (181) were in a sectional title scheme, with an average sales price of R1 850 000. 112 sales were freehold properties, with an average price of R4 570 000. 12 sales were freehold properties in private estates, 7 of which were first time registrations, indicating they were new developments. There was only one sale of a freehold land parcel with a sales price of R2 125 000.
